{
  "id": "2007-marchapril-subsidies-spread-cash-far-from-struggling-farms",
  "slug": "2007-marchapril-subsidies-spread-cash-far-from-struggling-farms",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2007-marchapril-subsidies-spread-cash-far-from-struggling-farms.html",
  "year": 2007,
  "month": "March/April",
  "monthNum": 3,
  "headline": "SUBSIDIES SPREAD CASH FAR FROM STRUGGLING FARMS",
  "kicker": "DOWN ON THE FARM",
  "author_name": "Sarah Cohen",
  "author_title": "Reporter",
  "affiliation": "The Washington Post",
  "summary": "A 2006 Washington Post investigation revealed that federal farm subsidies, often justified as supporting small family farms, were instead distributed to non-farmers, duplicate payments, and operations exceeding legal limits, with investigators analyzing USDA data to uncover billions in questionable payments.",
  "keywords": [
    "subsidies",
    "investigation",
    "farming"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Business & Economy",
    "Investigative Methods",
    "Agriculture & Land"
  ],
  "technologies": [],
  "full_text": "Skeptical of the claims that farm subsidies are needed to save the small family farm, Dan Morgan, Gilbert M. Gaul, and Sarah Cohen spent 2006 answering a simple question about federal subsidy programs: Who reaped the benefits from the taxpayer dollars, and did it help struggling small family farmers? The investigation revealed that subsidies included $1.3 billion meant for working farmers but paid to those who grow nothing; $9 billion in disaster aid that went often to farms already covered by a $20-billion crop insurance program; and payments to farms that exceeded legal payment limits. Unlocking USDA data was crucial, and The Washington Post published nine stories as part of the 'Harvesting Cash' series.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "pre-v2",
    "extracted_at": "",
    "verified": true
  },
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      "slug": "2007-marchapril-cotton",
      "score": 0.28
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  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2007-marchapril-subsidies-spread-cash-far-from-struggling-farms.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/2007-marchapril-subsidies-spread-cash-far-from-struggling-farms.json"
}